The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 541: This Moment Alone (1)

BOOM!

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“Urgh!”

Helgenique roared in frustration as Jerome’s sudden attack carved a deep wound into his back.

“You... you’ve already recovered?”

“I told you I’d kill you, didn’t I?” Jerome retorted with a sly grin. Despite his usually gentle nature, the mage had a tenacity befitting his craft.

Helgenique didn’t bother responding. Instead, he unleashed a surge of dark energy.

CRAAACK!

Jerome’s shield shattered, forcing him to retreat. He clicked his tongue.

The sheer force of Helgenique’s magic was overwhelming, a far cry from their last encounter. It was clear he had resorted to some hidden trump card, transforming himself into an unrecognizable monstrosity.

But even with his newfound power, Helgenique couldn’t focus on Jerome for long. Ghislain and Julien relentlessly pressed their attacks, swords flashing.

SLASH! SLASH!

“Graaahhh!”

Helgenique’s once-mighty frame was now riddled with wounds, black mist pouring from every tear in his flesh. The dark energy that had surged so freely at the start was visibly waning.

Jerome shouted toward the two warriors as he launched another spell.

“I’m not an enemy! I’m here to help! My name is—”

“Yeah, yeah, we know! Just focus on the fight!” Ghislain snapped, cutting him off.

Jerome chuckled sheepishly but nodded. The battlefield wasn’t the place for introductions.

Ghislain’s blade glowed crimson as he activated all five of his mana cores. The strain was immense, but holding back wasn’t an option. His strikes blurred into a whirlwind of red arcs, slashing through Helgenique’s defenses and leaving deep, bleeding wounds.

“Ughhhh!”

Helgenique grit his teeth, his only priority to protect his heart. A mage by nature, he lacked the combat instincts to fend off such aggressive close-quarters attacks.

Still, he endured.

Even as Ghislain’s blade tore at him, Helgenique mustered enough focus to unleash a flurry of shadowy arrows.

THWACK!

The projectiles struck Ghislain head-on, sending him flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth.

Julien, undeterred, stepped in. His strikes were cold and precise, aiming directly for Helgenique’s neck. The necromancer could barely keep up.

“Damned pest!”

Helgenique summoned a massive shadowy hand from the ground, swatting Julien aside with bone-crushing force.

Meanwhile, Jerome hung back, analyzing the situation.

“That energy... it’s depleting,” he muttered under his breath.

His sharp mind pieced together the truth.

“That power he’s using... it’s temporary. The fact that he’s no longer reviving his undead army means... he’s burning it all on himself.”

Helgenique’s desperate behavior confirmed Jerome’s theory. The once-cunning mage was now fighting with brute force, abandoning all finesse.

“He’s running on borrowed time,” Jerome concluded. “If we can just hold out a little longer...”

However, retreating wasn’t an option. If they backed off now, Helgenique would turn his fury on the allied forces.

“No choice but to push through.”

HUMMMMM!

Jerome’s hands glowed as he cast protective shields around Ghislain and Julien, followed by potent healing spells.

Though not as effective as holy magic, Jerome’s spells were enough to keep the two warriors on their feet, allowing them to fight more aggressively.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The battlefield turned into a blur of flashing swords, crackling magic, and deafening explosions.

Jerome refrained from casting wide-area spells to avoid hitting his allies. Instead, he opted for precise attacks.

ZING!

Beams of magical light shot from his hands, weaving through the chaos to strike only Helgenique.

The “Magic Missiles” exploded against the necromancer’s battered frame, forcing him to divert attention.

“Damn you, mage!” Helgenique snarled, turning his ire on Jerome.

But Jerome smirked, deliberately evading the incoming attacks.

“Guess I was right about his power having limits,” he muttered.

Still, something puzzled him.

“Was that guy really just a 5th-circle mage?” Jerome mused, recalling the mana he had siphoned earlier.

The quality of Alfoy’s mana was exceptional—far beyond the average 5th-circle sorcerer.

“Why hasn’t he advanced to the 6th circle? And how did I drain his mana so easily?”

Unbeknownst to Jerome, Alfoy’s so-called power was a byproduct of external enhancements, his natural abilities lacking the discipline to match.

Regardless, Jerome’s borrowed mana proved invaluable. His sustained attacks pushed Helgenique closer to his breaking point.

“Time to take this a step further.”

WHIRRRR!

Jerome’s hands crackled with power as he extended them toward Helgenique.

The necromancer’s wounds widened, black energy spilling forth like a flood.

“What... what are you doing?!” Helgenique growled.

Jerome grimaced as he began siphoning the dark energy directly into himself. His body contorted under the strain, veins bulging and turning black.

“Damn it... How is he even standing with this kind of power?”

Realizing he couldn’t handle any more, Jerome released the energy into the void.

“AAAAAARRGGHHH!”

Helgenique’s scream echoed as a significant portion of his strength was stripped away.

Jerome’s gambit had worked. Though weakened, Helgenique remained dangerous.

“Curse that wench’s holy power!” Helgenique snarled, glancing toward the unconscious Parniel. Her lingering aura continued to disrupt his recovery.

With a snarl, Helgenique teleported directly in front of Jerome, his clawed hand lashing out.

Jerome, however, distorted the space between them, redirecting the attack harmlessly away before retreating to Ghislain’s side.

“Persistent little pest!” Helgenique roared, giving chase.

A blinding flash erupted.

Helgenique moved again, but in his path, Ghislain and Julien's blades struck relentlessly.

BOOOOM!

A massive wound tore open on Helgenique's body. Meanwhile, Jerome had once again shifted through space, reaching out with his hand.

BOOOOOM!

Another gash opened, draining more of Helgenique’s strength. Although Jerome could only sustain his attacks briefly, even staying still sapped Helgenique’s energy—a critical disadvantage for the monstrous necromancer.

“Rrrraaaaah!”

Helgenique unleashed a torrent of magic without mercy.

The surroundings were already unrecognizable, reduced to a field of destruction, yet he had still failed to kill his enemies.

Jerome fought shrewdly. His [N O V E L I G H T] mana reserves were not in perfect condition either.

Even if his current mana was pure, it wasn’t his own and thus lacked full compatibility—an expendable substitute at best.

Furthermore, the total amount was insufficient compared to his original capacity. While impressive for a 5th-circle mage, it was still, after all, just 5th-circle mana.

Jerome prioritized defensive magic rather than directly attacking Helgenique.

He shielded himself and his companions from the unrelenting magic blasts, extracting Helgenique’s energy whenever an opening appeared.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Together, the three began to corner Helgenique.

Ghislain's eyes gleamed with determination. Both he and Julien were exhausted, but Helgenique’s decline had accelerated since Jerome joined them. Just a little more, he thought. Push a little harder, and they could end this.

“RAAAARGH!”

Helgenique realized he could no longer endure. Dragging this out would only lead to his demise.

Even now, he was being overwhelmed. The true death, something unthinkable for the master of the dead, the Lord of Death himself, loomed ever closer.

No... I cannot let this happen!

As a necromancer who wielded souls, Helgenique was fully aware of the weight of his sins. His crimes towered to the heavens and buried the earth beneath them.

If he died here, his soul would be condemned to wander the River of the Dead for eternity, tortured endlessly.

Just as he had condemned so many others to that fate.

Such was the fate of one who dabbled in dark magic yet failed to transcend mortality.

Finally, Helgenique resolved to stake everything on a last, desperate gambit.

RRRRRRR!

He began gathering his energy. It wouldn’t be as strong as his original might, but it could still deal a devastating blow.

Ghislain, noticing this, shouted, “Jerome! Interrupt him! Hold him off! I’ll take care of the rest!”

Jerome, sensing the gravity of the situation, poured his remaining mana into absorbing Helgenique’s energy.

BOOOOOM!

“Ugh!”

Helgenique howled in agony, his energy unraveling into chaos under Jerome’s interference.

Even so, Helgenique wielded that energy far better than Jerome could. It was akin to his original power.

When he focused his mind, the energy began to stabilize, gathering once more.

On the other hand, Jerome’s body was at its limit.

“Urgh....”

Black veins bulged across his skin as he resisted, but eventually, he coughed up blood.

He lacked the mana reserves or physical stamina to endure any longer.

Jerome had no choice but to release the mana he had absorbed, scattering it into the void.

Yet, the fleeting opportunity created by his efforts was extraordinary.

Helgenique’s technique required a moment to unleash. Jerome had just extended that moment further.

Ghislain charged forward, shouting, “Julien!”

FWOOSH!

With eyes as cold as ice, Julien appeared before Helgenique.

He poured all his mana into his sword. Sensing Julien’s presence, Helgenique instinctively tried to fortify his neck with energy.

However, Julien’s blade, which had doggedly aimed for that very spot throughout the fight, pierced deep into Helgenique’s heart instead.

THUNK!

“GAAAH!”

Helgenique let out a bone-chilling scream as his energy surged wildly, spiraling out of control.

Though he lost control, he still had enough power to detonate the energy and obliterate his foes.

Just as Helgenique prepared to unleash his final, devastating attack, Julien’s calm voice broke through.

“Ghislain.”

FWOOSH!

In an instant, Ghislain leapt high into the air, appearing behind Julien.

WHOOOSH!

A blazing black aura enveloped Ghislain’s entire body, leaving only his glowing crimson eyes visible.

Since reaching the 5th stage, Ghislain had refrained from using Amplification.

It wasn’t out of reluctance but necessity—his 5th-stage power was so immense that using Amplification for even a moment threatened to destroy his body.

Now, however, he gambled everything to seize the opportunity Jerome and Julien had created.

BOOOOOM!

A massive storm of mana roared into his sword.

In the fleeting pause before the attack, Helgenique’s eyes widened.

Time...

Even without intending it, time seemed to slow. The overwhelming force barreling toward him warped everything around it, freezing the world.

Nothing could move. Everything was still. Helgenique found himself trapped in this distorted moment of time.

Ghislain gritted his teeth hard enough to draw blood. Even swinging his sword placed unbearable strain on his body.

His hands threatened to give out before reaching the target. No—his body felt like it might explode.

Still, he endured.

This overwhelming power would surely be enough to sever the neck of this monster.

In this moment, he had surpassed even the strength of his past life.

CRACK!

Ghislain’s blade tore through space itself as it descended.